Chapter 27 #2
Not a conventional marriage. It wasn’t plausible she knew about the arrangement.
Sure, that silly gossip rag, The Brunette Bitch or something or other, had alluded to it not being completely on the up and up, but who cared what she had to say?
“What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as I studied her, not ready to confirm or deny anything.
Talking with her hands, she tilted her head, as though it was odd that I didn’t know what she meant. “He’s a Deluca. He represents the upper crust. There is an exclusive social code that enters the equation with standing like that.”
“Yes, it opens a wide range of social spheres to me.” It was practically public knowledge.
My father knew it, and if he knew it, he couldn’t have been the only one.
Honestly, I was very confident the Delucas themselves knew it and used it every chance they got.
As they should have. They earned the right.
So, why state the obvious? “Isn’t that what everyone craves? ”
“Not everyone, but most.” Bringing her hand to the two gold nameplate necklaces around her neck, she sighed.
Interestingly, neither one of them had her name.
One had Knox with hearts underneath the name, and the other had Vera with a crown on top.
“You know, Knox doesn’t care about this lifestyle.
He’d actually prefer to live on a spacious ranch in Texas. ”
Personally, I couldn’t have imagined ever leaving the city, but I could appreciate the desire for a quieter, slower lifestyle. Quiet mornings. Early evenings. There was a certain appeal to it, for sure. “Is he home with Vera?” I asked, nudging my chin in the direction of her necklace.
Rolling her eyes, she ran her hand over each one in turn before bringing it back to her side. “You bet he is. I told him I’d get Perla or one of my other sisters to babysit so he could come tonight, but he insisted.”
“Must be nice to have that support.” Thankfully, I knew I would have the same. Maybe not from Marco’s entire family, but certainly from Capri. Occasionally, even Siena. Although, I didn’t see her offering to babysit quite as much.
“It is.” Exhaling, she cast a glance around the room once more before settling back on me and returning to our conversation. “We waited to have a child, but it was really him appeasing me.”
I nodded. “You were hesitant?”
“Not necessarily. When we got together, I was just getting my footing. Then I quit working at Bellissima and started following my passion. I opened a flagship store, and it didn’t matter how many people I hired or interns I brought on, businesses demand a lot. I wanted to give it all I had.”
It felt completely out of reach, but one day, I would have liked to entertain the idea of starting my own brand. It had to feel right, though. “Seems like you were fortunate.”
“Yes. In a way others aren’t always. I know that.” She frowned. “You’re definitely never alone, though. You have Marco, and if you want, a support group.”
“Hmm?”
She swallowed. “Greta and I are actually in the same one. It’s a support group for moms. We have a group chat. We get together with and without the kids. Our kids make friends, meet new kids, and we get to unload on each other.”
It sounded nice, but— “Don’t you have your sisters for that?”
“It’s different,” she replied, shrugging. “Allie is in another mommy support group.”
“I can always talk to Capri.”
“It’s—”
“Different, I know.”
We both laughed.
“Come on.” She gestured for me to follow her. “Let me introduce you to Greta. I promised her I would find her to say hi anyway.”
Tingles spread throughout my body, and I waved my hands at my side, trying to shake the nerves in taking a necessary first step in my new…life.
As we approached a tall blonde woman wearing a white dress shirt tucked into a high-waisted black business skirt, she caught sight of us and gasped loudly.
“Bibi, where have you been?” she questioned, widening her eyes and going in for a hug while she held her drink off to the side.
Bianca swatted her arm as she backed up, and Greta nursed a sip of her drink. “How dare you. I’ve been here the entire time.” She pursed her lips. “Way to be so self-absorbed you didn’t even notice me.”
Greta swallowed, licking her lips probably in an attempt to savor the flavor. “Shut up. Have a cherry popper.” As if on cue, a server suavely strolled by, and she snagged one for Bianca from the tray. “They’re the next best thing to oral sex,” she insisted, practically pushing it at Bianca.
Not that I could have had one anyway, but it might’ve been nice if she had at least noticed me.
“Greta, this is Brooklyn Deluca,” Bianca said offhandedly as she plucked a cherry from the glass, dropping it in her mouth and shutting her eyes as she moaned. “Sweet.”
Nodding, Greta extended a hand, which I took as an introduction. “Nice to meet you.” Letting go of my hand, she brought both of hers together around her glass. “Capri told me about you.”
Judging by the relationship she had with Bianca, one of her clients, and the way she held herself, I doubted she was grading me on professionalism.
On the contrary, actually. I think she was looking for clients with personalities that gelled with hers.
“All bad things, I hope,” I said earnestly, curling the corners of my lips up.
There was a pause, but it was short.
“You’re funny.” Greta let out a cackle, turning to Bianca and arching a brow. “She’s funny!” The loud volume was just a benefit, I supposed. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” she questioned, her gaze slipping downward.
I licked my lips, wishing I could’ve had one of those cherry poppers. “It’s a girl.” Even a sip would have worked well for me. Not that I would ever, not while I was pregnant. It was just a fleeting thought.
Greta nodded. “I have two boys. Rascals that they are.” Then she tossed her head back and let out another unabashed laugh.
“She wants a girl,” Bianca whispered, leaning over as if she had to say it in my ear.